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The main attraction of Botshabelo is the South Ndebele open-air museum, which offers a vivid picture of Ndebele history and culture. A living museum, it depicts the development of Ndebele architecture from the early dome-shaped grass homesteads to mud-walled homes with their famous mural decorations. Guided tours are available. The area surrounding the mission has been set aside as a nature reserve which can be explored along day walks. Trailists might chance upon eland, black wildebeest, blesbok, red hartebeest, springbok and Burchell’s zebra. Accommodation is available. MIDDELBURG...was established in 1866 after it was decided to subdivide the Lydenburg congregation of the Dutch Reformed Church. Originally given the biblical name of Nazareth, it was renamed Middelburg in 1874 on account of its position midway between Pretoria and Lydenburg. The town lies in an area rich in coal deposits and has developed into a major industrial and agricultural centre, serving the coal mines, power stations, stainless steel factory and surrounding farms. Places of interest include the White Church, built for the Dutch Reformed Church congregation in 1890, the concentration camp cemeteries south of the town and on Kanonkop, and the sandstone Meyer Bridge, built over the Little Olifants River in 1895. WITBANK...owes its existence to the region’s rich coal deposits. The first shaft was sunk by Samuel Stanford in 1896, and the town was laid out seven years later by the mining company, Witbank Colliery. Its Afrikaans name, meaning ‘white ridge’ is derived from the light-coloured outcrop near the railway station. Since its establishment in 1903, Witbank has developed into a major centre for the area’s 20-odd collieries, smelters and other industries. Of historic interest is the mine shaft at the Transvaal and Delagoa Bay Mine, where Winston Churchill hid after his escape from Pretoria. CULLINANCullinan, a charming village with terraced Victorian cottages, developed around the Premier Diamond Mine. The mine was opened following the discovery in 1902 of a rich kimberlite pipe by Sir Thomas Cullinan, in whose honour the village was named. Among the many large diamonds recovered from the mine, the most famous is the 3 106-carat Cullinan Diamond, the largest gem diamond ever found. Bought by the Transvaal government, it was presented to King Edward VII and forms part of the British Crown Jewels. The Willem Pretorius Agricultural Museum, 10 km north of Cullinan, is centred around an old farmstead dating back to 1880. It comprises the historic house, outbuildings, stables and a museum where old agricultural implements are displayed. PRETORIA NATIONAL BOTANICAL GARDEN...covers 75 ha of natural vegetation, lawns and landscaped gardens on Silverton Ridge, a quartzite outcrop to the east of Pretoria. Over 1 000 species of flowering plants and trees occur naturally in the garden which also has cultivated sections devoted to fynbos plants, succulents, cycads, aloes and forest species. A thoroughly interesting site for botany enthusiasts on South African holidays. Among the indoor treasures are the internationally known Desmond Cole Lithops Collection – devoted to the unusual succulents also known as ‘flowering stones’ – and the valuable Hardy Collection of plants from Namaqualand, Madagascar and Namibia. There are paved walkways, nature trails and an artificial waterfall in the forest adjoining the tea garden. |
